Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Monster Track 2008 Main Race CANCELLED!

EXACTLY!!!

The internet has hurt the race scene though.

Maybe in NYC but elsewhere the internet has helped it all get better. Now there are races in probably every city in the states and even in large towns.

reminds me of the rave scene...

everything was fine, then it got trendy, messageboard promoting was introduced, then came the overdoses, then it all went away.

That explains the avatar. . .

reminds me of the rave scene...

everything was fine, then it got trendy, messageboard promoting was introduced, then came the overdoses, then it all went away.

The rave scene had a bikesnob-like figure too, this guy ishkur from vancouver who satirized the more jackassed aspects of what the scene turned into. Bikesnob does it better though.

while we're at it, the rave scene was also big on custom messenger bags.

eerie.

can you guys please stop making these connections? thanks.

but yeah, alleycats around here wouldn't really happen if it wasn't for internet promotion.

*(raves had flyers, checkpoints and after parties)

while we're at it, the rave scene was also big on custom messenger bags.

eerie.

No, $300 custom phat pants.

edit: and lots of people on message boards eager to prove that they were old school and to distance themselves from bandwagon jumpers.

OVERPRICED KNICKERS!! (http://www.rapha.cc/index.php?page=169)

k, done.

Oh dude this is getting scary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1nzEFMjkI4&feature=related

BIG UPS to the NYC crew!!!! Tough call.
With so many messenger lifestyle folks around it's hard to know who's got the miles under their wheels that will know when to go and when to carve the intersection.

A smart choice I think indeed, with someone getting plastered being the other option. OMG does this make it a sport now? Are we going to have governing bodies next year? My name is Andrew and I'm a card carryin' Alleycat Racer.

actually, the rave scene is a pretty good parallel...

except the rave scene has bigger (federal) opponents because of drug implications...

alleycat opponents will remain local...

fwiw, in chicago alone there's been 'investigations' and general news reports on alley-cats popping up over the past few years.

honestly, things in chicago will probably stay slow for a little while, and then creep back to normalcy.

large alleycats elsewhere might think twice, or just wait a little while... and smaller events will probably go on as usual.

for better or worse, the general public seems to forget about stuff like this relatively quickly.

also, keep in mind that as cyclists, we are a niche demographic... generally, we pay closer attention to cycling related news, and get more 'riled up' over such news....

i wonder what the average urbanite non-cyclist actually thinks about this, or how they'll think about alley cats in a month.. or more.....

I know ppl at my work actually know about them and ask me "when's the next one?"
It's weird. I had a cat on the subway Friday night talking to me about the Human Powered Rollercoaster alleycats sponsored by Dunhill over ten years ago.

i'm pretty sure most people who see a bigger alleycat from the sidewalk assume it's some sort of critical mass parade on roids.

Now that death in Chicago, (while tragic), was that in an alleycat? NOT that I mean to deflect blame or anything I'm merely curious. I hope alleycats, and local rip ups don't all get painted with the same brush.

Now that death in Chicago, (while tragic), was that in an alleycat?

No, it was a predetermined route.

well.. more or less, it was an alleycat. despite the fact that the route was decided, it's still a bike race in an urban setting on an open course... thats pretty much an alleycat to me...

and yes, the recent cyclist death happened during the tour da chicago series of alley-cat (or whatever you'd like to call em) races.

edit: open course not meaning self-routing, but still with cars, peds, potholes, etc....

ok how about this as a lithus test....was it run by Chicago Messengers?
I know not many cities need a big reason to crack down on messengers, and this kind of thing is perfect political ammunition.

not sure, but i think so...

i'm pretty sure most people who see a bigger alleycat from the sidewalk assume it's some sort of critical mass parade on roids.

yeah but along that same token, anytime there is more than 5-10 cyclists riding in a group pedestrians will ask or assume it is critical mass.

this is true.

:lol: a reaallllllly faaaaaaaaaaaaast CM.....cya!

stop crying and buy tickets for NACCC in chicago this summer!

reminds me of the rave scene...

everything was fine, then it got trendy, messageboard promoting was introduced, then came the overdoses, then it all went away.

Haha.. message boards and overdoses? I started going to raves in '94 and there were people back then proclaiming 'the end is nigh' because a lot of the parties started moving out of NYC to CT. Same thing with the demo scene, every year I hear its dead and every year more mind blowing demos are made. My feeling is that as long as there are cities and bikes there will be alley cats, how else will people know who's fastest?

Haha.. message boards and overdoses? I started going to raves in '94 and there were people back then proclaiming 'the end is nigh' because a lot of the parties started moving out of NYC to CT. Same thing with the demo scene, every year I hear its dead and every year more mind blowing demos are made. My feeling is that as long as there are cities and bikes there will be alley cats, how else will people know who's fastest?

The track.

a lot of the parties started moving out of NYC to CT

lols... remember "columns of knowledge"?

Just a matter of time before the cops start surfing the web, find the starting place for any of the popular races, and haul everyone away before they even get started.

Although fun to watch on YouTube, I am not sure how alleycat races could possibly have a positive impact on cycling in general. Maybe the damage is already done but I think it is a good idea to keep illegal bicycle activities just a tad more under the radar.

At least you guys finally had your day. Too bad popularity comes with a harsh price.

Cops tend to focus heavily on small populations for short periods of time (with the major exception being poor people or people of color, who they've been harassing since the invention of cops). It would probably take a task force being created in each city for there to be any significant impact on the racing scene. I don't even know if they are allowed to research the internet looking for stuff to bust without getting permission first.

Street racing in cars got this kind of treatment in the 90's, but that was a much bigger deal. They might start to take notice if people start getting severely injured or dying on a weekly basis, or if there is a ton of property damage or something. But I don't think it'll ever get like that.

BTW, I love the way the NYT article about monstertrack referenced the Grey's Anatomy episode about the Dead Baby race in Seattle. I saw that show and laughed my ass off. One guy came into the hospital with spokes sticking out of his side.

lols... remember "columns of knowledge"?

Oh yea they put on good parties, still have tons of old flyers

The track.

Funny.

Although fun to watch on YouTube, I am not sure how alleycat races could possibly have a positive impact on cycling in general. Maybe the damage is already done but I think it is a good idea to keep illegal bicycle activities just a tad more under the radar.

alleycats are not meant for the cycling world in general. they're meant for messengers. thrown by messengers for messengers. nothing more and nothing less.

alleycats are not meant for the cycling world in general. they're meant for messengers. thrown by messengers for messengers. nothing more and nothing less.

Maybe 15 years ago; nowadays not so much.

Time for the messengers to go back underground? OR... weekend messenger taught traffic ripping classes. *snikker* That's right boys, augment your measly riding salary by teaching wanna be's the secrets to successful traffic ripping. OR REALLY pull the alleycats back to messenger/ex-messenger

Just like you need a certain number of courses under your belt at the track before you're allowed to rip it with everyone above the red line. Qualifying heats....under the watchful eye of them's that do. Too squirrelly in traffic ...booted, try again next year.

:rolleyes:;):D.. community centers teaching one legged skids on the tennis courts and POLO!!